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About 40 States Expected to Ratify Certification of Diamonds Scheme

Business Day (Johannesburg)
NEWS
November 4, 2002
Posted to the web November 4, 2002

By Julie Bain
Johannesburg
AFTER 18 months of negotiations more than 40 countries will officially ratify
the Kimberley Process, to be drawn up at a meeting in Switzerland this week, to
stop the trade in conflict diamonds.
More than 20 cabinet ministers from around the world will endorse the process
to be implemented on January 1 next year.
At the same meeting, the SA government will publish its amendments to the 1986
Diamond Act, allowing SA's full compliance with the Kimberley Process.
The new SA Kimberly certificate, which has to accompany all future diamond
exports, will be unveiled at the meeting by Minerals and Energy Minister
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
The Kimberly Process is designed to reduce the flow of rough diamonds used to
finance armed conflict and fund terrorism activities. SA has played a major
role in drawing up the framework, which led to the agreement on the Kimberley
Process Certification Scheme.
Abbey Chikane, chairman of the Kimberley Process, will be in Switzerland this
week. "I am very optimistic that the Kimberley Process International
Certification Scheme will eliminate completely the trade in conflict diamonds
(and) there are very few of the major diamond importing and exporting countries
who have not complied."
In 2001 global sales of diamonds amounted to $77,5bn and it is thought the
trade in conflict diamonds was 4% of this, or $5,2bn. Such a lucrative business
will need rigorous monitoring before the illicit trade is stamped out.
Chikane said he was aware of concerns from some organisations, which have
questioned the effectiveness of the process as individual governments will be
responsible for monitoring the diamond trade in their respective countries.
These organisations have called for the setting up of an independent
organisation to monitor the process.
"First and foremost the Kimberley Process is a government process. These
stakeholders have a lot of confidence in existing multilateral organisations.
After the first year we will review the monitoring process and if there were
any loop holes we would then look at other ways and means of strengthening the
monitoring and controls of the process."
The United Nations (UN), whose security council and general assembly have
imposed sanctions on certain countries known to be trading in conflict
diamonds, is backing the Kimberley Process. And the UN's committees for Angola,
Sierra Leone and Liberia, are monitoring diamond trade in these countries.
The European Union and the African Union have also thrown their weight behind
the initiative, and the World Diamond Council, representing the diamond
industry as well as a number of nongovernmental organisations, are active
participants in the Kimberly Process.
Chikane said that Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Namibia have
agreed to participate in the process.
The Republic of Congo-Brazzaville, Liberia and Sierra Leone have not signed up,
though, but Chikane said he was hopeful they would come on board soon.
It is unclear if SA and Chikane will continue to play such a prominent role in
the process.

   

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